Why should I use Aged Care Reviews and Aged Care Decisions to help me find the best aged care facility?
Our Care Decisions support service is a unique aged care support service available to the general public for free.
Aged Care Reviews draws upon our thousands of reviews submitted by families & residents; information provided by operators; tools developed by us; and other information to help your family make the best decision possible. We delve deeply into your care needs and preferences to support you in navigating the aged care journey.
The Service provides a range of information, tools, resources and introductions to relevant aged care operators.
We are able to provide vacancy shortlists within minutes - based on your care needs, preferences, location and budget.
Does using Aged Care Decisions cost me anything?
No. Our service is 100% free for families and their elderly loved ones.
How does Aged Care Reviews make money from the Aged Care Decisions support service?
We provide a shortlist to families of aged care options where a vacancy and care preferences match exists. We charge an industry-standard fee to the aged care operator you select from that shortlist. All operators pay the same fee to us, and this fee is only paid if your family member is happy with the facility chosen, and have moved in.
Because we firstly work with you to understand your care needs and preferences, our only goal is to help your family select the best aged care facility option based on those needs.
Because all aged care operators are charged the same fee, an operator cannot 'pay more' to receive favourable treatment.
Ultimately, it is up to a family which facility they eventually choose. Equally, a family can choose to place with another facility not on the initial shortlist.
Am I obliged to use the services of the aged care operator you refer to me?
No. It is entirely your decision to choose an operator introduced by Aged Care Reviews, or any other aged care operator.
Do I need to sign a contract with Aged Care Reviews or Aged Care Decisions?
No. Our Aged Care Decisions support service is 100% obligation free.
Why do you need my contact details?
Our Aged Care Decisions support service can provide you with a range of information, tools, advice and introductions to aged care operators - including those that have a vacancy or care preference match to your needs. To do this we need to contact you either by telephone or email.
Is Aged Care Decisions independent?
Absolutely. Aged Care Decisions is not owned or operated by any aged care operator or industry body. We have assisted tens of thousands of families in navigating the aged care process - always by facilitating informed decision making. Aged Care Decisions manages Aged Care Reviews, a website that displays thousands of reviews - good and bad - provided by residents and their family members, to assist in that informed decision making.
Our commercial model means that families pay nothing to receive significant advice & assistance, and that aged care operators across Australia pay the same rate to Aged Care Decisions where a placement referral is made.
Personal Information
Why do you want my postcode?
Providing your postcode allows Aged Care Reviews to provide a better and more customised service to you. It allows us to shortlist and present you with a listing of those aged care businesses that are most relevant to you and your family.
Will my identity be disclosed in reviews?
The only personal information that is disclosed publicly in reviews is your username. Your username is chosen by you when you sign up to Aged Care Reviews. You should always ensure you chose a username that cannot directly identify you. If you sign in through Facebook your Facebook username will be displayed.
How does Aged Care Reviews use my personal information, including my email address?
Aged Care Reviews primarily uses your personal information, including your email address, to verify your identity. We do this to ensure the integrity of the reviews submitted on our site.
From time to time we may contact you via email to keep you updated on news, events, and information that we provide that supports our members and those seeking transparency in the aged care sector. You will always be provided with an opportunity to unsubscribe from these emails.
For more information please view our complete Privacy Policy.
If I sign up through Facebook can others see my personal information?
No. We provide sign up facilities through Facebook for your convenience. The only information visible to users of Aged Care Reviews is your Facebook user name.
Membership
How do I update my account information?
You can update your account information by Signing In and going to the "My Profile" page.
Why do I have to sign up in order to submit a review?
In order to ensure the integrity of our reviews we require all reviews to be submitted by registered Aged Care Review site members.
Signing up takes less than 60 seconds.
Your personal information provided on sign up will not be displayed with a review, nor can business owners or operators get in touch with you after a review.
Reviews
What kind of businesses get reviewed on Aged Care Reviews?
Aged Care Reviews currently features a directory of all residential aged care facilities who provide services that are subsidised by the Australian Government. Aged Care Reviews does not currently feature retirement villages or other businesses that provide services to the elderly.
Which businesses get included on the Aged Care Reviews website?
The details of businesses listed on Aged Care Reviews have come from publicly available information from the Australian Department of Health and other statutory agencies. This information is updated on a quarterly basis. We also rely on our community, aged care operators and third party information providers to keep our database current and relevant.
Can I submit a review even if I, or my immediate family member, have not signed up with an aged care facility?
Yes. Aged Care Reviews provides for Tour Reviews to be submitted where you have merely toured a residential aged care facility. In this instance we request you to rate the quality of information provided to you, the helpfulness of the staff, the quality of the general built environment and ambiance, and its overall quality.
What type of reviews are submitted?
A site member may submit one of two types of reviews.
The first type is where you have inspected an aged care facility. In this instance we request you to rate the quality of information provided to you, the helpfulness of the staff, the quality of the general built environment and ambiance, and its overall quality. You may submit one of these reviews for each aged care facility you inspect.
The second type of review is submitted where you, or an immediate family member, have been a residential aged care facility resident. In this instance we request you rate the quality of the building, staff and care, food, quality of lifestyle and wellbeing and overall quality.
How is the overall rating score of a business calculated?
The overall score for a business is calculated as the average of all "Overall Quality" ratings that business has received.
All ratings receive equal weighting.
Can I review my own business, or one that I work at?
No. Our Content Guidelines clearly state that all reviews must be unbiased and objective, and clearly prohibit reviews being submitted by an employees, owners and operators of aged care industry businesses.
Does a business pay to get a higher or better review?
No. Aged Care Reviews takes our responsibility to the public, aged care residents and care recipients and their families seriously. Our values are based on honesty, impartiality, integrity and transparency.
Aged Care Reviews will never alter reviews, review scores or aggregate scores in return for money.
How do you sort the search results?
Search results can be sorted (i) by rating (default), or (ii) in alphabetical order by facility name.
How do I know reviews are genuine?
Aged Care Reviews takes the integrity of our reviews seriously. Our Content Integrity Policy states that we will “take all reasonable and practical measures to ensure the integrity of our user generated content”. We do that through three main methods.
The first is by ensuring that only registered members of Aged Care Reviews can submit reviews.
The second is through our unique, custom developed Suspicious Content Detection Algorithm (SCDA). While we can’t go into details about how the SCDA works, it does constantly operate in the background of our site to detect and eliminate suspicious reviews.
The third method to guard against suspicious reviews is by using our community. Any person can flag a review for investigation. You can do this by going to the business in question, clicking on Enquiry, then selecting “Suspicious Review” in the ‘Nature of your Enquiry’ tab. We investigate every referral.
Why should I review a business?
Australia’s population is getting older. By 2051 nearly 20% of all Australians will be aged 70 or older. Nearly 70% of income in the $11 billion aged care industry comes from governments.
In short, we each have a personal as well as public interest in how the aged care sector is run, and how care services are provided to the elderly.
Accreditation assessments for aged care facilities and care providers occurs every three years. In between those periods many things can happen. Staff change. Businesses are sold. Buildings become run down. Processes and systems start to be ignored.
Aged Care Reviews believes in transparency to encourage aged care operators who promote quality, and in the power of transparency to highlight areas for improvement. The decision to place a loved one into aged care, or to source care services for them, is an intimate, traumatic, complex and personal one. It is a reality that most of us will be faced with such a decision sooner or later.
It only takes a few minutes to complete a review. By doing so you add to a large community of reviews that, when taken as a whole, is a powerful force for good in the aged care industry.
Why is my review not visible immediately?
When you submit a review it is not immediately displayed on Aged Care Reviews. This is because your review is queued for a manual verification. We do this to ensure the integrity of our reviews and prevent any spam or malicious reviews that go against the Content Guidelines.
Do you favour positive reviews?
No. As long as reviews comply with our Content Guidelines then it will be displayed on Aged Care Reviews as quickly as possible. Reviews are listed in date order, and all reviews contribute to the overall score of an aged care industry business.
If I post a negative review, can I get in trouble legally?
Aged Care Reviews encourages honest descriptions of your experience, or the experience of your immediate family member, in relation to an aged care industry business. If your review meets our Content Guidelines then you should feel free to describe your experience, regardless of whether it was positive or negative.
Who does a review?
Reviews are submitted by registered members of Aged Care Reviews. Registration requires only a valid username and email address. In some circumstances you may submit a review anonymously, in which case your review will be manually verified to ensure complaince with our Content Guidelines before the review goes public.
Do you ever remove or delete reviews?
The only time we remove reviews is when we believe a review infringes our Content Guidelines. Before doing so we will investigate whether a review is genuine. We may request a reviewer to provide further information.
Aged Care Reviews never removes a review simply because it is positive or negative. We never remove a review simply at the request of a business unless the review is found to breach our Content Guidelines.
Can aged care owners or operators respond to my review?
Business owners or operators are provided with an opportunity to submit a response to a review. In doing so they must also adhere to our Content Guidelines. They cannot be rude or abusive, and nor can they harass, threaten or intimidate you. Responses to reviews cannot name or identify individuals.
Business owners or operators cannot access your personal details, nor can they make contact with you individually.
Are reviews filtered?
All reviews submitted on Aged Care Reviews are considered in line with our Content Integrity Policy. All reviews are subject to our Suspicious Content Detection Algorithm.
Other than screening for suspicious content, we do not filter reviews.
I suspect a review has been submitted maliciously, what can I do?
Please go to Contact Us page and let us know about the issue.
A facility or business is not listed on Aged Care Reviews, what should I do?
If you can’t find a particular aged care industry business or organisation then please let us know by using our Contact Us form.
Can I review a business that I previously worked at?
No. The Aged Care Reviews Content Guidelines clearly prohibit a review being submitted by an ex-employee of an aged care business.
How do you get people to do a review?
Aged Care Reviews works offline and online to gather reviews from individuals who have had an aged care experience. On the internet we undertake advertising, media marketing and publicity campaigns to generate awareness, and encourage people to submit a review. We also work offline in partnership with various organisations - including aged care businesses, service providers and hospital social work teams to generate awareness. Aged Care Reviews also runs a number of competitions, prizes and incentives to encourage people to submit a review. Some reviewers of receive a voucher, prize draw entry or other benefit in exchange for their review. All reviews are screened by our Suspicious Content Detection Algorithm.